This is a discussion on Changing cabin air filter on 2011 WRX - glove box won't get off!? within the Cockpit and Cabin forums, part of the Tutorials & DIY category; Hi all,
Today I planned to change the cabin air filter on my 2011 WRX. Thought it was going to ...

Changing cabin air filter on 2011 WRX - glove box won't get off!?

Hi all,

Today I planned to change the cabin air filter on my 2011 WRX. Thought it was going to be easy... but it wasn't!! First off, there aren't 9 screws to take off the glove box any more --- the pictures I found on iwsti was for a 02, and the MY2011 is quite different. I could only find 5 screws and the glove box was still pretty tight after taking these off.

The instruction that came with the air filter says:
1) detach the little joint at the right side of the glove box (the one that slows down the open motion), check;
2) push in the two hatches behind the glovebox so the box itself can be fully opened.

Now here's the issue: the two hatches are not flex enough (they're pretty hard plastic and the guards stand out pretty good to prevent it from being fully opened). I tried pretty hard to get one side done, but they other side won't even budge. I worried breaking it so I stopped.

All I can offer is that those tabs will flex in enough to drop the glove box forward and then pop it off the hinge point. I had mine out to do the footwell LEDs. I recall thinking just like you are, but after some steady pressure one side at a time I was able to get it to pop. Keep trying, be patient and use steady strong pressure near the tabs to get it to flex in. Good luck.

Andrew,
Super appreciate your input. I'll give it a try tomorrow and hopefully I won't break anything... :-) Will report back. If it does work, it seems that the MY11 provides a better/easier way to replace cabin air filters (no screws involved at all).

1) Open the glove box, and disconnect the hinge on the right hand side;
2) Use some pressure to squeeze the left-side hatch and get that loose (then the glove box will get stuck);
3) Pull the left side of the box outwards. This will pull it out from its bottom hinge and the right side will follow suit.

The key is not to try too hard on the right side hatch. It's very tight space and the box doesn't seem to flex enough to clear the hatch (and things may break if you try too hard).

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